I am not great at using the mail command on Linux. How can I get better? I don't even know what program this is. Is it pine? I doubt it. It is in /usr/bin/mail and when I start it is tells me that it is Version 8.1.2 01/15/2001.

I type z and it shows me the end of the list of messages - but that command is not showing up in the ? help page.

My biggest questions are:

What program is this?

How can I learn it better? Are there some links to tutorials?

MOST IMPORTANTLY How can I get back to the message list after I run another command (or refresh the message list, or move up and down in the message list??)

What are the most command commands, or what are the most helpful tricks to using it?

What is the opposite command of z for scroll down the list page by page?

Clarification: I'm asking about how to use the interactive program and not the scriptable command - i.e. what happens when you just type mail with no flags or parameters. I only seem to be able to find tutorials online of how to script with the program, not how to use it. I know it hasn't been updated since 2001, I would just like to get a little more efficient at using it and I'm having a hard time finding resources to do that.

Sorry, I tried to write the question so it would be clear that I'm not asking about the scripting properties of the command as much as I'm asking about the interactive ones - i.e. just typing mail with no parameters.
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cwdDec 14 '11 at 1:30

1

you filtered the key line from the mail man page. This fact had escaped me. After then looking at ed's man page I was able to navigate more easily, albeit still with some difficulty. $ goes to the most recent message, typing a number jumps directly to that message, - goes backward, + or n goes forward (but p does not go backwards)
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PaulAug 13 '14 at 13:12

mail isn't Pine; it's just mail. In a perfect world, your version of mail should be compatible with POSIX/SUS's mailx program (The most relevant documentation being under the "Extended Description" heading), but, as usual, determining the deviations from perfection is left as an exercise to the reader.